Friday, April 15, 2016

Graphic Novel Review: Ms Marvel

Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she's suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she's comin' for you, Jersey!

I've heard nothing but great things about the new Ms.Marvel that started up a few years ago, so in honor of Comic Book Month, I decided to finally read it.

What I really like about this book is that Kamala actually feels like a real teen. I think she kind of won me over the most early on with the scene with her parents. Kamala asks to go to a party and her parents say no, in which she she stomps up to her room thinking, "it's not like I'm asking their permission to do cocaine." Um...that is exactly what I would have thought in my teens, so I felt like I could really relate to her. Also her grumpy face gives me life.

Kamala's story deals a lot with identity. Being an American-Muslim she deals a lot with trying to figure out where she fits in the world. When she first gets her powers she thinks looking like Captain Marvel ie. blonde and pretty would make her happy, but it doesn't. When she is first figuring out her powers, she realizes that looking like Captain Marvel is not what she wants, that's not her and she knows who she is. I really loved that the book touched on that. Be careful what you wish for is a cliche for a reason, but I think in Kamala's case it's presented in a modern way to really make you think.

I haven't read a lot of books where a muslim character is the protagonist. In fact, I haven't read a lot of books that have characters that are religious. So I think it was interesting that we get tiny nuggets of Kamala's faith. I thought that Kamala's culture was written well and it certainly seemed like it was well-researched. I actually looked up the writer, because I was generally interested in if she was Muslim or if she had just done her homework. For those interested, she is a Muslim convert. I think the fact that this is a faith that she believes in made me appreciate it a little more.

I definitely want to read about some more diverse characters, and I'm hoping Kamala is just the start of it. I'm definitely going to continue reading this series, and I'm looking forward to reading the next volume.